The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-02-16


come to stay. The farmers are in the
majority They produce the great mass
of wealth and pay the taXes-more
than eighty-two per cent of all the
taxes-their own and those of others.
They own the land of the country, and
the fences of the country cost more
than all the cities. The grange has
helped the farmers socially, mentally
and financially, and it has benefited
them millions of dollars. He proposed
to talk of the good it had done in edu-
eating the farmers. The farmers have
been made to feel that they did not
need SC much education as the other
occupations. They were taught that
muscle was what was needed. In
family of children they pick out one and
send him off to college, and scrimp and
pinch to give that one an education.
Did they educate that one for farmer?
Not much. He came out a keen,
crafty lawyer, or minister, or doc
tor. Did the others at home have the
same education? Oh, no; not at all
They were to be only farmers, and
muscle was what they were taught was
necessary. They did not need any
education, but only muscle, and were
taught that they were not as good as
the professional men or the merchants.
He next spoke of the financial benefits
of the grange. The grange insurance
companies were now insuring for
eighty-four cents what formerly cost in
other companies three dollars. Where
does all this difference 90? Why,
good slice goes to the local agent,
another slice goes to the general state
agent, some more to the general agent,
and the officers must have big sala-
ries. Then they put up big buildings,
and next they must get big sur
plus. He gave about the same line
of argument concerning life insurance
companies. He also spoke of the po-
litical power of the grange. 1t deserves
credit for the passage of the inter-
state commerce bill. The bill making the
commissioner of agriculture a cabinet
officer has passed the house; the grange
has done it. To the grange belongs nine
tenths of the credit for the passage of the
oleomargarine bill. He did not know
but they ought to claim it all. The
masters of the state oranges of the New
England states met in solemn cOnven-
ton at Boston and sent out mem Oria
to all the New England congressman,
saying " We demand of you the passage
of this BILL" and it was passed. And
what was the result? Mr.. Tatem of
Connecticut says it sold before the pas
sage of the act at twenty-five cents per
pound and now it sells at sixteen cents.
He said he had seen the farmers in the
West pick up dead cholera hogs, great
fat fellows, and send them to Chicago
to be tried up-they said for soap, but
he kneU they were for butterine. Gle
did not say whether these farmers were
grangers or not.) He spoke of the po-
ltical attitude of the two great political
parties on tariff legislation. How would
Vermont like to have the tariff taken
off from wool, lumber, sugar and hay,
and let those products from Canada
pour in on her and bring down the
prices? Is not the raising of wool as
much an industry as the making of that
wool into yard of cloth? He told the
story of the darkey who tried to shear the
hog. 1t was great cry and little wool;
and so with tariff reform. They had
sheared the farmers and now they were
going for their hides, and admit the
hides from abroad free of duty. The
Morrison tariff bill took every bit of
tariff off from all the raw material the
farmer produces, and the Morrison bill
was killed by the grange. In short, it
appeared from Mr. Whitehead that
about every praiseworthy act which had
been done in the last few years had
been the work of the grange, while all
the bad ones had been done in spite of
it. The farmers are crowded down
by taxation. They have not only to
pay their own, but the tax of some one
else. He spoke of alien landlords who
were acquiring lands in this country,
and this the grangers must stop.
The editor inquired of him how these
things were to be brought about, when
the difference in belief in tariff reform
was in both parties rather than be-
tween the parties. He said he had not
time now to explain just how it was to
be done.
Mr.. Lane told him that he had mis-
stated the position of the members of
congress from the manufacturing states
on the tariff question, and that they
were for protection. When it came to
this, and he got off his regular story,
he seemed to be less fluent than in his
set talk. We have seldom heard more
mischievous harangue, Astounding in
ms-statement, sophistry and appeal to
the baser prejudices; and we feel war
ranted in asserting that some members
of the board hold similar opinions.
The board meetings should not be made
the occasion and the medium of such
harangues. We cannot put his manner
on paper-the snecrs, the smartness,
the evidently intended satire with
which his remarks were ornamented(O.
The grange is worthy organization,
but such people are not credit to
it; neither are their utterances safe
or a reliable guide.
FRIDAY MORNINGS SESSION.
The meeting was opened with an adj
dress by Joel Blackmer of Stockbridge
on " Farm Buildings" He thought
one could not now afford to build farm
buildings unless it was intended to
make home there. He confined his
remarks chiefly to farm barns. Barns
should be built according to the size of
the farm, and should have, all under
one roof an underground or basement,
about eight feet in height. He would
also have the same height between the
first floor and the one above, into which
the hay and grain are to be drawn.
Hara q man can unload half-a-dOZen